Salt+Marsh+--+Paula+Natividad,+Kelly+Nguyen,+Elizabeth+Chau+(1st+Period)

Introduction
Salt marshes are marshy areas that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. They are usually found near estuaries and along the coast in temperate climates. Estuaries are areas along the coast where the fresh water of river mixes with salt water from the ocean. The salt marsh is one of the most productive biomes in the world. Because rivers carry large amounts of nutrient-rich organic material, estuaries are extremely productive places for plants and algae, and the abundant plant life helps filter contaminants out of the water.

Salt marshes are covered with salt-tolerant plants. One can easily find plants such as salt hay, black rush, and smooth cordgrass. But these plants do not grow together in the same area. Marshes are divided into distinct zones, the high marsh and the low marsh. The difference in elevation between these two areas is usually only a few centimeters, but for the plants that inhabit each of these zones, a few centimeters makes a world of difference. The low marsh floods daily at high tide. Plants living in salt marshes have different tolerances to salt. Those with higher tolerances are found in the low marsh, and those with lower tolerances to salt are found in the high marsh zones. Plants from one marsh zone are never found in the other.
 * Flora **

Black rush-usually found in the high parts of the salt marsh Smooth cordgrass-usually found in the low marsh and the estuary’s edge Salt Hay-usually found in the low marsh

Salt marshes shelter various marine animals, invertebrates, and reptiles. Crabs, snails, worms, mussels, fish, shrimp, and birds are all part of this wet ecosystem. At a glance, the marshes attract a heavy population of birds. The great blue heron, sparrows, shorebirds, rails, and gulls all are lured by the easily access to a diverse variety of worms, insects, fishes, and crabs. These marshes also provide a large nesting area for shrimps and fishes to lay and hide their eggs. With the water so close and plenty of grass around, this environment also lures the interest of a large collection of crabs as a stable home: blue crabs, fiddler crabs, mud crabs, hermit crabs, stone crabs, and horseshoe crabs. Insects, including flies, katydids, plant hoppers, mosquitoes, praying mantis, and dragonflies, are also among the most common inhabitants, which is great for the birds.
 * Fauna **

The animals live on different sectors of the ecosystem. Mullet and fishes usually live in the marsh creeks. The crabs and snails are found in the pools that are retain water that lasts all year in the marsh flats. The lower areas of the marsh are composed of clay, fine silts, and mud, creatures such as clams, worms, shrimps, oysters, mussels, and fiddler crabs. The insects can be found all over the marshes. The great blue heron fish in the shallow waters or in shrubs nearby. Rodents such as the muskrats can be found in the high marsh, tide creek feeding on mussels or the vegetation. Other mammals that live there are minks, voles, and raccoons. Reptiles are rare to find in these marshes. With most only visiting from time to time, the Diamondback Terrapin and the Salt Marsh Water Snake are the only two that lives on salt marshes.



Salt marshes have a climate that is generally mild and humid. There are barely any fluctuations in daily temperature and just minor changes in seasonal temperature. In the summer, maximum temperatures start at 61°F and can reach as high as 72°F, whereas temperatures in the winter start at 47°F and can get as low as 39°F. The lower temperatures occur in the northern salt marshes while the higher temperatures occur in the southern salt marshes. The shallow waters in salt marshes have surface temperatures that can exceed 100°F on hot, sunny days, even though air temperatures are generally mild. Depending on the location of the salt marsh, annual precipitation differs from less than eight inches in Southern California to eighty inches in Northern California, in addition to the almost nonexistent precipitation during the dry summer.
 * Seasonal Temperatures and Precipitation **

Throughout the ages, coastal developments have infected salt marshes with nutrient runoffs, introduction of invasive creatures, and the interference with tidal flow. The most harmful that destroyed most salt marshes are due to filling to form upland. This action is now illegal. Salt marshes were also diked and drained to make land for farming. Freshwater runoff will disrupt the salt level and allow other species to colonize and kill off the original inhabitants. Building culverts underneath the railroads and roads consequently places restrictions on the natural tidal hydrology. Restoration projects including replacing undersized culverts where they cross paths with a marsh, removing fillings and taking away the invasive species.
 * Human Impacts and Interactions **


 * Bibliography **

"Education." TPWD:. Texas Parks & Wildlife, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015 .

Nicole. "Plants and Animals in the Salt Marsh of NH - Nicole's Ecosystems in Rivers and Salt Marshes." Plants and Animals in the Salt Marsh of NH - Nicole's Ecosystems in Rivers and Salt Marshes. Fall Mountain Regional School District, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

"NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries." NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

"NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries." NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

"Salt Marsh." Salt Marsh. The Official Website of the Massachusetts Bays Program, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

Wechsler, Doug. "Untitled Document." Untitled Document. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

"Coastal Salt Marsh." Cal Alive! Cal Alive!, 2015. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .

"What Is a Salt Marsh?" What Is a Salt Marsh? N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. .